ONLY MURDERS has gotten off track this season for two main reasons: The focus has been taken off our dynamic trio of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, and the titular podcast upon which the show is based has been barely an afterthought. THIRTY is a return to basics, but I’m afraid it’s too late.
E9 feels more like an episode from seasons past, and that’s a good thing. Charles, Oliver, and Mabel unwind the clues and questions they need to solve the murder. The dynamic between them has always been the highlight of the show. As the three race to solve the murder before the season finale, a lot is jammed into these 38 minutes. Some twists and turns in THIRTY could have developed more slowly over the season. Instead, ONLY MURDERS S3 has been mostly unremarkable and often forgettable, chasing side plots with too many supporting characters and cameos.
I understand the show’s need to keep fresh. I mean, just HOW MANY murders can happen in one building in Manhattan over a short period? Perhaps the show painted itself into a corner from day one. The podcast brought our characters together and was quite successful in Season 1. It helped them hone both their detective and voice skills in Season 2. One episode is left this season, and we’ve heard about one podcast episode. Unless there’s a time jump in the finale, it seems our characters won’t have enough time to solve a murder AND record a podcast. I hope I’m wrong. I want to love this show like I loved the first two seasons, but we’re literally out of time.
The season finale of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING streams on Tuesday, October 3rd on Hulu.
